Kelly Ripa 'devastated' over death of All My Children co-star John Callahan

In a heartfelt tribute on her show Live With Kelly and Ryan, Ripa remembered the 66-year-old, who she became good friends with after they starred opposite each other on the hit US soap.

"I had a really bad weekend this weekend," Ripa told viewers from her makeshift home studio while under coronavirus lockdown. "A very dear friend of mine for many, many years, almost 30 years, passed away over the weekend."

Kelly Ripa, Eva LaRue and John Callahan all appeared on All My Children. (WABC)

Ripa then explained that the pair had remained in touch even after Callahan left the soap in 2005 after 13 years — his then-wife, actress Eva LaRue, was even the godmother of Ripa's son, Michael, now 22.

"He was a great actor, a really good friend," Ripa continued. "One of the funniest people I've ever met… He was 66 years old — way too young to be taken from us."

Callahan died on Saturday morning after suffering a stroke at his Palm Springs, California home on Friday. It was his ex-wife, LaRue, who was one of the first to pay tribute on Instagram.

"Your bigger than life, gregarious personality will leave a hole in our hearts forever. We are devastated-my great friend, co-parent partner, and loving father to Kaya," wrote LaRue, who shares an 18-year-old daughter, Kaya, with the actor.

"You gave the best, most beautifully written tributes, and I am at a complete loss for words right now for you. I hope Heaven has baseball and that your team always wins! The Yankees has just lost their biggest fan."

In a follow-up post, LaRue wrote, "Love knows not its depth till the hour of separation. Our hearts are broken. Thank you so much for all the love and support, you'll never know how much it means to us."